Lab Partner

Before The Petrification

"I have always respected you, admired you, and I would do anything and everything for you. Please let me help you with your science work, Senku!"

Y/n bowed down towards Senku, who was cleaning up his station. The science lab was empty, classes were over, it was just him and her.

"Huh? Sure." Senku replied blatantly.

Senku's eyes were raised disgustingly towards y/n's. His arms were holding an empty glass flask like a t-rex.

Yes, it was out of place and random for y/n to burst into the lab like that, but, ever since she was placed in a different class as Senku, and no longer could be near him without question, she would do anything to be with him. She was only becoming his friend last year and would do anything to keep what they had. Being his chemistry partner was the most fun she ever had in school. Senku made science completely different for her.

Y/n rose from her bow and smiled into Senku's, still revolting, face.

"Can I help you with anything... today?" Y/n asked quietly, inching forward.

Senku's disgusted expression faded away. He finished gathering his items and swung his backpack over his shoulder. He walked past y/n and grinned fearsomely into the doorway.

"Well of course I do, follow me."

...

The days passed and y/n would wake up every morning with Senku on her mind. Every afternoon at Senku's place, helping him with his experiments was the most enjoyable thing in her life. The way Senku would talk, the way he would teach, the way he would look into his creations and fidget with them in deliberate, precise methods were intriguing in every way. Y/n never wanted to be away from such a mastermind.

"Is this the friend you have been having over, Senku?" A bearded man announced against the doorframe.

He looked similarly like Senku, with his green hair tips and piercing red eyes, but carried a much more comfortable, lenient attitude with him.

"I'm Senku's father, you can call me, er-, Mr. Ishigami of course!"

Y/n nodded in response and looked over to Senku to see his reaction. But, to no surprise, Senku was still focused carefully over the broken fans y/n brought over from her old computer.

"Oh she's a girl I see! Now, Senku, if I see you carrying any experiments that you shouldn't-" Mr. Ishigami was cut off by Senku's slow 180 degree turn of his chair.

Y/n pulled back a strand of her hair behind her ear and stared at the floor.

"Her name is y/n, an old classmate, she's my friend." Senku stated into the room. His eyes darted at y/n's for half a second.

"Well... it's nice to meet you y/n, I was going to ask Senku if he wanted ramen later, but, if you're here, want to tag along?" Mr. Ishigami asked, grinning.

Y/n looked to Senku, who was back to work with the computer parts.

"Sure," Y/n said smiling shortly.

Y/n and Senku continued with their work, consisting of Senku fixing y/n's broken computer parts while y/n finished her homework, gazing over Senku's shoulder every few minutes. It was peaceful and just how she liked it.

...

"So what are your hobbies y/n, what do you want to do when you're older?"

The sound of slurping noodles filled the tiny restaurant. Y/n could barely hear what Mr. Ishigami just asked her.

"Oh, uh, well I think anything that pays well would be fine, and, for hobbies, I'm on the track team." Y/n said after swallowing a mouthful of ramen.

"She wants to be a writer, but she doesn't have faith in herself. She's also the best hurdler in our district but says she won't do them in college." Senku said, looking at his father.

"Hurdles? The things you jump over while running? I never tried them in highschool. But ohh, a writer we have here, one of my old buddies was a writer but he didn't get very far, had to get a real job!"

Y/n chuckled and scratched her neck. Senku glared at his father and kicked his knee under the table.

"Woah, woah- okay, but I think it's better to go after your dreams than never thinking you have a chance." Mr. Ishigami said, reassuring y/n.

"That's what I think also, but, if I already am content, I don't need to go after anything. It's not like anything is stopping me from writing on my own, as a hobby of course." Y/n explained.

Senku smiled proudly over y/n and Mr. Ishigami cocked his head to the side.

"So you are already happy with what you have?"

"I believe so, Mr. Ishigami."

...

"Senku? Where are you going?"

Senku was outside his last class of the day, grabbing an energy drink from a nearby vending machine.

"Taiju says he's going to ask out Yuzihira, after 5 years of waiting." Senku said, making a small laugh. Y/n drifted her eyes to an empty classroom to the left where her school bag was still in.

"I'll be by the courtyard, watching what unfolds, I guess." Senku spoke again, noticing y/n still needed to get her things.

"I'll be there too, I'll take one minute!" Y/n yelled running into the classroom.

Y/n shoved her binders and spiral notebooks from under her desk into her bag, popping her calculator into it before zipping it up completely.

Scrambling out of the classroom to where Senku supposedly was, y/n almost tripped down the hallway, but made it back up before hitting the ground. There was no way she was going to miss this rare spectacle of Taiju confessing.

"Senku! Am I too late?"

Y/n could see Senku against the side of the window down the hall. He had just popped open the energy drink he got earlier. Other students were gathered there with their heads leaning out of the open windows. But, what y/n saw then was something else. A strange green light spreading across the sky and distant buildings.

"Y/n-" Senku turned to y/n after noticing the green light along her.

Senku's body, from his back to the tip of his nose, was quickly petrified in front of y/n, right before her own eyes were too.